Lance Armstrong should be "forgotten by cycling" said the UCI president, Pat McQuaid yesterday - but the combatitive Irishman revealed that he hasn't forgotten about Tyler Hamilton and Floyd Landis, the two men whose revelations did most to bring Armstrong down. In the Daily Telegraph he describes the pair as "scumbags".
Given McQuaid's obvious contempt for ex-dopers, especially those that have criticised the UCI over its handling of the problem, it is little wonder that the UCI president seemed yesterday to have little appetite for the setting up of a truth and reconciliation commission - something supported by the USADA - even though it was he who first floated the suggestion earlier this summer. Even if such a commission were set up there has to be some doubt as to how it could actually operate given both McQuaid and the UCI's sensitivity to criticism.
McQuaid's attack on the two riders appears to have been sparked by David Millar's call for the UCI to apologise for its failures over the extent of doping in the sport. Millar - who came back after serving a ban for doping to campaign for a cleaner sport - has been openly critictical of McQuaid and the UCI.
"They didn’t hold Millar’s hand when he stuck a needle in his backside. He is an adult and they know they are breaking the rules. It’s not the president’s responsibility if they go into a doping programme," said McQuaid.
"Another thing that annoys me is that Landis and Hamilton are being made out to be heroes. They are as far from heroes as night and day. They are not heroes. They are scumbags. All they have done is damage to the sport.”
Earlier this month the UCI, McQuaid and the UCI's ex-president, Hein Verbruggen won a case for defamation against Landis in a Swiss court by default when Landis failed to contest the charge. In December the UCI, McQuaid and Verbruggen go to court again alleging defamation by the ex-Sunday Times journalist Paul Kimmage. The difference on this occasion will be that Kimmage who is backed by a £50,000 defence fund raised by cycling fans, and the journalist will certainly contest the charge.
Kimmage, Landis and Hamilton allege that the UCI accepted a payment totalling $125,000 from Lance Armstrong after the 2001 Tour du Suisse in return for covering up a positive test for EPO. The UCI flatly denies the allegation and says that the test in question was merely 'suspicious' rather than 'positive'. However as the USADA points out in its Reasoned Decision under current testing procedures Armstrong's sample would be classed as a positive - and it was close to positive even by the less precise criteria of 2001.
Interestingly although the same allegation is made by Tyler Hamilton in his book, The Secret Race, the UCI are not taking action against him or co-author Daniel Coyle. However yesterday McQuaid did have plenty to say about both Hamilton and his book.
“We called Hamilton in [after he failed a dope test],” said McQuaid. “He said our machines were wrong. We said ‘we are after you’. He was positive two, maybe three times, eventually he was thrown out of the sport.
"He then spends the next few years trying to prove he was a twin before he was born or something like that and prove the scientific community wrong. He loses his marriage and his money.
"What does he do now? Writes a book just before the USADA report is announced and is making money left right and centre. What good is he doing the sport? He’s on a personal mission to make money for himself.”
The uncomfortable truth for both McQuaid and the UCI is that Hamilton's book and the USADA's Resoned Decision are striking similar in much of what they have to say - indeed USADA endorses the veracity of the book in its Reasoned Decision. Indeed while both Hamilton and Landis were not so long ago both ridiculed for their claims both appear to have been vindicated - as the testimonies in USADA's evidence against Armstrong has proved.
No wonder, some might conclude, that the UCI president wants cycling to forget all about Lance Armstrong.
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I don't have any sympathy for Landis, Hamilton or McQuaid.
However, as president of a major sport, McQuaid should 100% consistent about wanting the sport he governs to be clean. McQuaid does himself and UCI no favours by defaming Landis and Hamilton – it's unprofessional, bitter and harmful to his and the sport's reputation.
The Armstrong donations to UCI reflect badly and are indefensible. There's plenty of circumstantial evidence to suggest that UCI has been happy to accommodate the dopers – this is a tipping point in the sport and all we are seeing is the vested interests rallying round to keep their snouts in the trough.
How is this plonker still in charge?
I have to say that whilst in general I'm no Pat fan, he is right on this occasion. Hamilton and Landis are scumbags.
Think it through, Hamilton didn't lose his wife and cash fighting the UCI trying to expose the drugs in the sport, he was trying to clear his name.
Once that failed him and Landis did the honourable thing of saying 'well, if I can't play anymore, no one else is going to play either, I'm taking you all with me'. It's the same as a jealous ex throwing acid in the face of his old lover to spoil it for everyone.
These pair were not victims of the doping culture, they were key players... Have no sympathy for them.
Now that said, Pandoras box has been opened, and the future could be brighter because of it... And that's is in part thanks to these spiteful mens attempts to destroy the sport.
Looks like Pat has finally found his balls. Someone must have told him where Lance left the jar with them in.
You know what they say, "The best form of defence is attack". McQuaid knows he's in for a kicking and he's trying to get his revenge in first.
Hopefully this will be the last hurrah for a man on his way out and who is despised even more than his predecessor because he knew what was going on and ignored the chance to put it right because it would have derailled his gravy train.
Why wasn't he pressed on the fact that he personally spoke to Lance outlining the action forthcoming on the Friday before the official UCI statement on the Monday. 'Sorry Lance but we'll try to mitigate by calling those who ratted Scum Bags'.
The biggest scumbags in all this are the UCI. Festina was an opportunity to clean up the sport, but they just chose to clean up their image. Lance Armstrong, as an English speaker returning from illness, was the ideal poster boy for this project. I agree with just about everything that Landis is not allowed to say and more besides!
Spoken like a vile and spiteful little cnut !
"He then spends the next few years trying to prove he was a twin before he was born or something like that and prove the scientific community wrong. He loses his marriage and his money."
This man get's pleasure from ruining one man, yet protects his biggest asset right to the last.
So who should we support McQuaid the scumbag who in 1976 defied an international ban on athletes competing in South Africa for the money. Or the athletes who have helped expose the hypocrisy of the UCI and the scumbag who runs it?
McQuaid's comments just go to show that the UCI is still poisoned by the drug legacy. If McQuaid was serious about doing the right thing a truth and conciliation session is the right way forward.
Publicly calling Landis and Hamilton scumbags seems like a foolish and petty thing to do, far from the sort of behaviour you'd expect from a worthy leadership to World cycling. It is for this very sort of thing that McQuaid should step down as it does not appear as if he wants to take cycling forward.
I can see that within professional cycling you might view Hamilton and Landis with little respect, but I actually think that there testimony, along with other riders can start to change things for cycling. If McQuaid botches this and fails to use the momentum then cycling will be mired.
USADA, by bringing Armstrong to book, have sent out a message to cheats that the will not prosper from their endeavours. If Armstrong was allowed to carry on with his charade then the message is that cheaters prosper. At least now riders who do cheat will need to do it on their own and the organisation back up under US Postal will be much harder.
I think he has a point. All dopers are scumbags. But then he should know.....
McQuaid's worse than a clown. He's got that fantastic combination of being both sly and a moron. Well, attempting to be sly anyway. I can't quite understand his actions - they follow no logic whatsoever and make him look wholly unsuitable to head any kind of organisation.
What a clown, let's hope there no investigative journo's out there going through his bins and rummaging up evidence of the man's corruption
"Another thing that annoys me is that Landis and Hamilton are being made out to be heroes. They are as far from heroes as night and day. They are not heroes. They are scumbags. All they have done is damage to the sport.”
I guess it would have all been much better, Mr McQuaid, if we just let it lie and let Armstrong continue his fraud (which looks like it might actually cost him some money now - hope he is bankrupt by the end of the year) ignoring the fact that the sport is dirty and will continue like that until you have someone in charge with some morals!
Hamilton and Landis might not be heroes but at least they had some dignity left to come clean. Armstrong has nothing and I feel embarrassed for all the fops turning up to listen to him. A deluded man with not a hint of a conscience.
Mr McQuaid, if you really love the sport then step down - go gracefully rather than having all the pro-riders calling for your head by the end of next season.
They didn't come clean, They got caught big time. Because no one else got caught they decided to bring cycling down with them!
Bloody well said!
I guess we get ten more years for all this to play out... sighs... turns off internet...
# It's time to play the music
It's time to light the lights ... #
Pat McQuaid is a clown. A terrorist. Like Colonel Gaddafi.
Pat McQuaid may be a fool or a clown, but he's not a murderer prepared to use instruments of terror like Gaddafi.
That has got to be one the stupidest things I have seen recently! You really need to get a grip.
How can you compare a dictator who executed many people with the head (albeit useless, corrupt and unethical)of the UCI.
So please tell me what acts of terrorism McQuaid has committed?
I'll refer you to the McQuaid vs Landis defamation case and what Landis is not allowed to say about McQuaid. Read that and then come back.
Link http://road.cc/content/news/68235-swiss-court-finds-favour-uci-landis-de...
To Al__s, excellent use of sarcasm
I'll get me coat!
Maybe Al__s is really Landis?
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